Caught Inside
by hesmus
Summary: Summer, sun and sea. The three s-words that can make your life perfect. And thanks to those, you can find something just as important. Surf AU, based on a fanart by exzireart.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello, my dears! Long time no see! xD So, I'm back with a new multi chapter story! This is based on a drawing by exzire / exzireart on tumblr. And the whole surf AU idea is hers. She takes the credits. She was super kind and let me write for that awesome drawing! You should go to check it out! So hope you enjoy this! There's more to come!**_

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The roads were cramped with cars, the occasional honking filled the air and broke the steady purring of car engines. The sun was blessing everybody with its pleasurable warmth. It was a beginning of the summer. The holiday season had just started so people were heading off for their vacations. Most likely the greatest places to spend a summer break were the beaches in the west coast of the country. And one of them was also Sanji's destination.

The blond was sitting on the most hideous hippy bus ever. It was painted with yellow and orange paint, many kinds of flowers decorating it with some bright pink here and there. Sometimes Sanji was ashamed to travel on it. The radio was on and the soft melody of the radio channel's top hundred list was filling the car. It wasn't for Sanji's taste but the others liked it so he just had to deal with it. He was surrounded by his best friends. They were a bunch of weirdos really, but that's what made them so loveable. Being normal was overrated anyway.

The man in the driver's seat had bright blue hair, styled in a really unique way, the front was sticking up and the back was almost glued against his skull, then sticking out from the bottom. Sanji sometimes wondered how much freaking hair productucts Franky used to make his hair look like that every single day. It was a mystery to everyone. The man also wore a tasteless flower shirt that matched his beloved vehicle. And speaking of said vehicle, the blue haired weirdo had even named the car. Sunny was its name. Or actually "her", as Franky insisted. He could be really weird sometimes when he got to it. Although most of the time the guy was really awesome.

The young man next to Franky was Usopp, Sanji's oldest friend. They had met back in the primary school and stuck together ever since. Usopp was trying to doodle something in his messy sketch book but it was nearly impossible when the car was moving, stopping, and moving again in the endless traffic jam. Eventually he gave up with an unsatisfied groan and put the book neatly back in his shoulder bag. He scratched his long nose and ruffles his curly hair before leaning further in his seat. Usopp stared up at the blue sky through the spotless window. It was a wonder how Franky always managed to keep them so clean. It was like there was no glass at all. And the sky was perfect too. Smooth baby blue with no clouds to be seen.

The sunrays were making their way through the windows and heating up the little bus. Sanji could hear a low whine next to him where his youngest friend was sprawled in his seat. A red haired woman in the other side on the boy fanned him soothingly with a cute little pink fan. It didn't seem to help the poor boy much but at least it brought some comfort, if not physically then mentally in theory level. Luffy really wasn't a friend of heat even, if he had lived in the south before.

Nami tried her best to take Luffy's mind off of his miserable state by talking about the ocean, which they were going to see soon. That had the black haired boy hang his tongue out like a dog who was longing for water. The sight was so amusing that Sanji had to chuckle softly to himself. He was actually quite excited too. No, excited wasn't enough to describe it. He was gleeful, enthusiastic, delighted and everything in between. He couldn't wait to feel the soft and hot sand under his bare feet and the fresh sea water surround his body.

They were most likely to surf and swim every day during their break. Sanji had surfed since he was a little kid. He always went to the coast with his parents during summer breaks. He grew up by the ocean. He learned to love and respect it. When he was younger he even feared it. The might of the sea had always fascinated him. Its beauty, there's nothing like that elsewhere in the world. Or anywhere that Sanji knew of. The sea was something… pure to him. Something that gave him life. When he was near it he could feel himself calm and being one with the waves.

Suddenly the blond was harshly pulled out of his daydreams as Franky exclaimed that they would reach the beach house in less than twenty minutes. A sudden and strong wave of excitement hit through the whole bus, making every heartbeat speed up a bit. Even Luffy came back to full awareness from shifting between heat stroke and coma to bouncing around as if he never suffered from the heat.

Those were probably the most torturing twenty minutes in Sanji's whole life. Waiting something so great as this was always horrible. He could bet his whole fortune that it was the same for his friends as well. However the universe didn't want to hold them back from having fun for too long. Usopp informed them that the beach house could be seen through the trees by yelling something utterly absurd which sounded like a mix of "We're here" and "I can't wait, oh my god!".

By the time the colourful Sunny the bus pulled to the driveway, everybody was trying to get out at the same time. And of course the result was closer to catastrophic than any good. Usopp and Franky were lucky to sit in the front seats. Sanji finally managed to stumble awkwardly out of the bus, getting some dust and dirt on his clothes from the side of the vehicle. sanji let out a happy sigh, it felt so nice to stretch his legs a bit again after the long drive. The redhead started to yell orders and quickly the bus was empty and all the bags were stacked next to the front door, including the surfboards leaning against the wall in a neat line.

"Okay folks, we have to get our bags in, settle down and go buy some food. I assume that there's really nothing eatable," Nami said and shot a look at Franky, who's the owner of the house and had been the last one there.

"I'm sorry to say but you're right, sis. I think there are only leftover cola cans for emergencies," the man said a bit too happily.

"Figures…" Nami mumbled under her breath.

She glanced at her golden wrist watch, silently making up the plan. Sanji went almost swooning about how cute she looked while being so concentrated on something. But before he could do it, Usopp was quick enough to stomp on the blonde man's toes to get him back to focus. The abused man wasn't too happy about it though so he kicked the long nose's shin as a revenge. And in the end Usopp didn't have enough guts to continue and most likely risk his physical health. He wanted to be able to surf this summer after all. So he dropped it and went to hide behind Franky as Sanji glared daggers after him before rolling his eyes.

Soon enough Nami started talking again, taking her wallet out of her purse.

"The plan is this: Luffy and Sanji go to buy groceries, Usopp takes care of the boards while Franky and I unpack everything."

Usopp grumbled because he wanted to go shopping too; he had planned to buy some pencils and special ice tea. But a death glare from the red head made him change his mind less than in half a second. As Luffy was constantly screaming "foooood!", Nami handed Sanji enough money and with that he started walking to the down, Luffy by his side.

The young boy pretty much jumped around and beamed in pure joy the whole way.

"I can't wait to try out my new board! I have been waiting for AGES! Winter time is no fun!" he exclaimed loudly and threw his hands in the air, helping to make his point.

The blond chuckled and put his hands in the pockets of his white bermuda shorts. This boy never hid his joy. Though, why should he? Sanji shared the same feelings so he couldn't blame the kid. They talked about everything possible related to this vacation while they walked along the sidewalk to the closest grocery store.

Sanji could already feel the sun kissing his slightly tanned skin. He would definitely get a nice tan during this summer. Being near the water really made it easier. He had made sure to stay enough in the sun before the trip though so that he wouldn't burn so easily. Like one year… Three years ago he happened to forget the sunscreen and by the end of the day he was as red as a boiled lobster. It was painful as fuck! Sanji shuddered at the memory. His friends had laughed at the hilarious sight. Excluding Nami who had scolded him and was the first one to throw an after sun lotion bottle in his face with a heavy sigh. He had learned from his mistake, in a hard way, of course.

The two of them passed all the familiar places and even spotted some people they knew. They all had spent many summers here together after all. Mostly because of that the walk to the store took a little bit longer than planned. Finally, after many sweaty minutes, they managed to make their way to the store. Luffy sighed in ease as the cool indoors air surrounded him. Sanji had a feeling that the kid was going to enjoy his time in the frozen food section. The older man took the trolley but Luffy insisted to push it. To play around and cause chaos… Sanji let him have his way and instead concentrated on finding the best ingredients for their meals. He had one other passion beside surfing, and that was cooking. He wants to do those both until day he dies. He'd be happy with his life.

He took his sweet time to gather all what he needed. Luffy even started to get impatient, he wanted to go back and eat all their food. Sanji apologised to him with a half-hearted smile and offered to buy him an ice cream and everything was fine again.

Many examined ingredients and picked packets and bags later the friends were out of the store. Sanji was carrying the shopping bags while Luffy was devouring his ice cream. It was gone in seconds. At least he seemed to be satisfied.

The walk back to the beach house wasn't any faster than the other way. Only this time the reason was the heavy bags full of groceries. Luffy offered to carry some of the bags but the blonde haired man didn't trust him with it for two reasons. One, the boy would have tried to eat everything, and two, he would smash the bags.

By the time they made it back, the others were already inside and the sun was ready to set below the horizon. They had arrived late afternoon so it was no wonder. Luffy was a bit disappointed when Franky stopped him from running straight to the surf boards and told him that it was a bit too late to go to the beach. So the boy had to suck it up, actually together with Usopp who joined his whining and groaning. Nami rolled her eyes at that and just continued reading her magazine. They would have the whole day tomorrow. And the whole summer for that matter.

Sanji cooked a quick dinner for the whole party as the others chatted. Usopp offered to set the table at one point but other than that the blonde worked alone. Well not really alone. The kitchen area was separated from the living room only by a long bar counter that also served as their dining table. That way the cook could also join the conversation. The whole dinner was really calm, surprisingly calm. Everybody was probably too exhausted to goof around, even Luffy. All the excitement and the heat really did their trick, successfully draining all the energy from the travellers. So after the dinner they disappeared to do their own things, mostly to go to sleep. Sanji of course stayed to do the dishes.

Eventually all the plates, glasses and utensils were clean, shiny and in their right places. Even if this kitchen wasn't Sanji's own, he still took good care of it. A kitchen is a kitchen, no matter who owned it. A big yawn split his face in two as he dried his hands. He glanced at the clock on the wall and raised his curly eyebrow. It was nearing midnight. Damn. He had no idea how fast the time had passed. He better head to bed now or he will never be able to wake up early enough. And he _really_ didn't want to experience Franky's way to wake up people. It was anything but pleasant.

After a cool and calming shower the blond was all nice and comfy in his bed, tucked under the covers. Thank god the house was big enough that he was able to get his own room. Not that he didn't like to spend as much time as possible with his friends. No, it was nothing like that. He loved their time together more than anything but after a hectic and noisy day like this it was simply just nice to get some alone time and peace. That was actually one of the reasons why Sanji hated living in the college dorms and sharing a room with someone. But he could thank his luck that his roommate was at least nice.

Slowly Sanji started drifting to peaceful sleep, his cheek pressed securely against the soft pillow. His own pillow. That was a one weird thing that he always did when he went somewhere where he was going to spend a night. The curly brow always had to have his very own pillow or he couldn't get sleep. Some weird fixation he caught as a kid, he assumed. But it made him feel safe and… homey. Just like the sea. And tomorrow he could feel that wonderful feeling again. He could be in his true home.

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 _ **Thank you so much for nofreedomlove for being a beta reader for this one! And also for the amazing exzire to let me write for her drawing! QuQ I will definitely be working on this fic more than gladly from now on!**_


	2. Chapter 2

No matter how hard he tried, Sanji didn't manage to wake up in time to avoid Franky being his horrific alarm clock. The poor blonde jolted awake immediately when loud 80's disco music filled his room.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty! It's a new day and waves are waiting for us!" The blue haired man yelled over the music.

The man was wearing one of his Hawaiian shirts, hanging open on his broad shoulders. His pants were only hideous, bright orange speedos. The sight hurt Sanji's eyes. Franky was going to have this attire for the whole goddamn summer. There were going to be kids at the beach, for god's sake! The man was striking different poses and danced along the way too loud music as he held the stereos on his shoulder. Sanji groaned in pure annoyance and pulled a pillow over his head before growling under his breath.

"Turn that shit off or I will smash it in your face!" Sanji groaned.

"Aww come on! This day will be SUPER awesome! We are gonna surf, relax and spot all the nice ladies," Franky winked and the last words actually did the trick and got Sanji's attention.

The mental image of beautiful ladies in marvellous bikinis and swimming suits was more than enough to make the blond snap his eyes open and sit up. Franky grinned widely, beaming at Sanji. Then he turned the music off as his blonde friend started to seem pained by it. The curly brow sighed in ease when his eardrums stopped getting hammered by the disco racket.

"Okay, I'm up," Sanji mumbled through a big yawn and stretched his stiff limbs.

With a huff he got up and ruffled his messy hair. Sanji looked over at his friend and yawned once again.

"Is everybody else up? I should probably go to make breakfast…" the sleepy blond continued, and sauntered to the wardrobe where Nami had unpacked all his clothes. Ah, always so sweet Nami-chan folding his clothes so neatly!

"Luffy is the only one sleeping so you have good time to cook. He will probably wake up on his own the second he smells something," Franky stated with an amused smile on his face.

"You couldn't be more right. Damn… Okay, I will be downstairs in 15."

Sanji glared at the clothes in the wardrobe. And he glared hard. He had used HOURS for packing to pick out the most fitting clothes. But there he was, not knowing what to wear. Well of course he would change the wetsuit on right away when they got to the beach. But… still! He let out a frustrated sound and just grabbed a loose bright blue t-shirt that covers one shoulder and reveal his other, a comfy light grey shorts that hugged his legs just enough. Quickly he changed clothes and went to the bathroom. The blond took his sweet time there before coming out, looking all fresh and chill. He had his golden locks in a tiny ponytail. Sanji loved to keep it like that during summer time so that his neck was free, cooling him a bit.

The cook walked the stairs down and the same wave of excitement hit him again, even stronger than yesterday. Franky, Usopp and Nami were all settled on the living room floor and prepared their bags for the beach while chatting cheerily. The air was thick with utter joy but also light and full of energy. For some reason Sanji had a feeling that this was going to be the best summer yet.

"Oh, morning Sanji! So weird to see that you weren't the first one up," Usopp spoke up and flashed a delighted grin at his friend.

"I haven't gotten used to these routines yet, I guess. I need to practice to wake up early to cook for you guys," Sanji chuckled back and strolled behind the bar counter and started pulling out ingredients for a rich breakfast.

As Franky had guessed, Luffy indeed bolted out of the bedroom he shared with Usopp. Sanji watched in horror when the kid darted towards him with a speed of light. The cook was fast enough to take a step to the side before the bouncing ball of energy could crash on him.

"Luffy for fuck's sake! You almost ruined my cooking! AGAIN!" Sanji scolded.

"But it smells so good," Luffy whined and clung on Sanji's midsection, giving him puppy eyes. That was a dirty move. There was no way Sanji could have resisted that.

"Ugh, you're such a nuisance sometimes," the blond muttered half-heartedly, missing the real edge in his words and a little tug in the corner of his mouth gave him away.

Once Sanji had managed to peel the drooling Luffy off of him, he turned back to the stove and continued frying the bacon. The room filled with a delicious smell of eggs, fruits, bread, bacon and coffee. It was a really simple breakfast, nothing too fancy but it was filling. And that's what mattered now. The day was going to be long and tiring so the whole group of friends needed all the energy they could possibly get. Of course Sanji was going to make some snacks to take with them and there was a small restaurant at the beach as well. Better be safe than sorry when they have Luffy in the party, Sanji had better to cook lots of snacks. No one wanted to experience a hungry Luffy.

With the black haired boy drooling behind his back, Sanji finished cooking in no time. He set the table and with that the others left everything what they were doing to gather around the bar counter before Luffy could eat everything. After knowing the boy almost for six years, Sanji still wondered how on Earth could he eat so much and still stay so slim. It's a big mystery which no one could probably ever solve.

"So Usopp, is Kaya going to come this summer as well?" Franky asked between shovelling scrambled eggs into his mouth.

The long nose's face flushes scarlet red and he almost choked on his coffee.

"What?! No! I mean, how would I know?! It's not like I have been texting with her or anything," the poor man squeaked out. Smooth.

"Oh sure you haven't! We so believe you," Nami cut in, holding down her giggles.

Usopp's face turned more and more flushed and he tried to make up stories how he had been texting with some kind of queen of some weird ass country. The red head couldn't hold it back anymore and just laughed straight at her friend's face before Usopp shot back.

"Well look who's talking! You have been drooling after Vivi the whole winter and spring!"

Now it was Nami's time to turn bright red. Everybody knew that the woman had a crush as big as the continent on Vivi, a young woman whom they met couple summers ago. As much as it crushed Sanji's heart that his sweet Nami-chan was far from being interested in him, he was still really happy for her and hoped that something would happen between the two fine ladies. They were cute together after all.

When the breakfast was gone and Nami and Usopp were still trying to prove that they didn't stalk their crushes or anything, the group started to get ready. The blond quickly prepared a big bag of sandwiched before getting his beach bag ready as well. Franky hauled everything inside his bus and tied the surf boards on the roof. Everything was ready and soon they all were sitting in the car, heading to the beach.

The bus filled with breathless gasps when they finally saw it, the beautiful sea, the long beach, the people there. They had been waiting to see the beautiful blue for so long. The sky was once again free from clouds, letting the sun show its true power. The weather was really warm so the beach was rather crowded. It didn't bother the group of friends, they'd be spending most of their time in the water anyway.

Luffy was the first one to storm out of the car when it stopped at the parking lot. Sanji had to pull his legs out of the way so that the kid wouldn't have tripped over and hit his head. They didn't need that accident to happen so early in the morning. When Luffy was out and bouncing around, the rest of the group climbed out. They probably made a new world record of unpacking a car. Franky took the surf boards down from the roof of the bus while the others hastily pulled the bags out. Before too long everything was done. The blue haired man locked the doors of his beloved hippy bus before turning to his friends.

"Okay, let's go to have an unforgettable summer!" he cried out, striking his signature pose, sticking his hands up and spreading his legs.

That was the end of the final countdown for the group. They all sprinted towards the beach with surf boards under their arms and bags on their backs.

The last one there pays the drinks for the whole day!" Usopp declared.

Nami didn't need more than this to pick up the pace of her steps and she dashed past everyone. There was no way in hell she was going to pay for all of these gluttonous idiots. Luffy was running right after her, followed by Sanji and Usopp. Franky for his misfortune was the last one to reach the surfing camp area. He panted heavily and cursed half-heartedly under his breath as Nami grinned widely in her victory.

Now they were finally there. The sea was only a few steps away. Sanji took a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh, salty sea air. This air was like a substitute for cigarettes. When he was surfing he didn't crave for a good smoke. His body didn't need anything else at those moments. When he wasn't near the sea, cigarettes were the substitute in their turn. But of course they were that for many other things too than just the sea and surfing, sadly. The blond glanced one more time at the endless looking sea before turning to face his friends and following them to the main camp building with equipment rent and changing rooms and also a small restaurant. Sanji waved his hand as a greeting at the manager of the place who came to greet them. The man had long green hair and way too big canine teeth for his mouth. He had a golden nose piercing, earrings and some ink on his face and chest. He wasn't wearing any shirt, only swimming shorts with tasteless plaid pattern. The guy seemed pretty cool when you first saw him but Sanji knew better…

"Luffy-samaaaaaaa!"

And within a second the green haired man was flailing loudly and almost kneeled down in front of them. Luffy laughed in amusement and hauled himself at the crying man and hugged him which made him cry even more. Sanji was sure he could see stars in his eyes.

"Barto! Nice to see you again!" Luffy exclaimed and Sanji was getting worried about their Bartolomeo friend who looked like he was in the verge of a heart attack.

Bartolomeo kept crying from pure joy when everybody greeted him with hugs and patting on the shoulder. The man was in seventh heaven. He was the greatest and craziest fanboy of the friend group and Sanji had troubles to understand that why. He had a guess that it was because of their surfing but it wasn't the greatest of all either. So who knows… They had befriended some years ago when the tattooed man got the manager's place in the camp. Bartolomeo ran the place pretty much on his own. And he did it really well, Sanji had to give him his whole respect for that. He was weird as fuck but also a great surfer. All in all, the green head was a nice guy.

"Are you going to stay here the whole summer again?" the still sniffing man managed to ask after calming down a bit.

"Yup! That's the plan! Luffy and Usopp said in unison.

They started to fanboy together and plan out all the possible beach parties and such. Sanji smiled softly at them while walking to the changing room to put his wetsuit on. Nami did the same as Franky stayed to talk with the others. The blue haired man wasn't going to change his clothes anyway…

Sanji locked the door of the small room and placed the bag on the bench and put the surfboard to rest against the wall. He glanced at the full body mirror and smiled to himself. The joy was glowing from him and he loved it. Without thinking further the blond slipped out of his shorts and then took the loose shirt off as well. His slippers were tossed to the side soon after. The mirror was reflecting his slightly tanned, lean body. Sanji wasn't that muscular but not like a toothpick either. He was quite proud of his body. But of course that little annoying feeling of self-consciousness crept into his mind when he was standing side by side with some really well toned. Franky didn't count though. His muscles were just freakishly big.

The cook bent down to rummage through his bag to find his wetsuit. After some searching he found it under all the towels and lunch boxes. He smoothed it out and slipped one strong leg in and then the other one. The long digits clutched the special fabric as Sanji slid the suit up on his body. He adjusted it on his upper body before finishing it up by pulling the zipper up. The blond turned back to the mirror again and fixed his little ponytail before eyeing the wetsuit. It was sleeveless and the pant legs reached his middle shin. It was pitch black with turquoise stripes each sides of it. It hugged Sanji's body completely, not really leaving anything for imagination. Daydreams immediately filled his mind as he imagines how all the ladies would look at him with a little sparkle in the corners of their beautiful eyes. Though he didn't really mind if some men did it too…

Someone called Sanji's name just outside of the changing room. It was Nami.

"Are you done, Sanji?"

"Ah yes, my flower! I will be right there!" the cook hurried to say while stuffing his clothes into the bag.

He settled the bag on his shoulder and grabbed his board under his arm before exiting the room. Nami was standing there in her own wetsuit which was similar to Sanji's, only with more stripes, yellow and orange ones.

"Ready to go?" Sanji asked with a toothy grin.

Nami nodded briefly and grinned back at her friend. Together they headed back to the store area where the rest of their friends were waiting. Sanji wondered that how the hell were Luffy and Usopp able to change so quickly. Though he wouldn't have been surprised if they had done it then and there in front of everyone. Those guys had no shame. When Bartolomeo saw that they all were together again he started talking in way too excited voice.

"Hope you will enjoy your time here again this summer. Don't hesitate to come here to ask if you need something. Oh and also! If something happens, which I highly doubt since you're all so amazing and talented surfers," he started babbling, his voice rising almost one octave, "We have some new lifeguards. But you can find them in their usual spots. Have fun!"

They all thanked the man who was now flailing around again and promised to come to see them at some point. Luffy waved madly at him before running out like he was on hot rocks. They all followed him and soon just tossed everything on the ground and ran straight in the water, laughing loudly. People around them watched the group of friends run to the water, but it was nothing new.

Sanji laughed from the bottom of his heart when he felt the water touch his skin. He lifted his face up at the sky to take in the warmth of the sun. The light freckles on his face were glowing in the light and his hair was flowing in the wind. A childish glee was bubbling inside his chest. He felt so alive once again. The cook closed his eyes before taking a deep breath and diving in the water. And damn, didn't it feel absolutely amazing!

The blond gave a few kicks to dive even further in the water. He even dared to open his eyes slightly even if the salt water burned a little bit. A wonderful, slightly blurry sight opened in front of him. The water was crystal clear with a hint of different shades of blue. Sanji was able to see the bottom with soft sand and rocks, also some seaweed floating around. He let the water support him, kicking and moving his arms only slightly, just enough to not float away. Eventually his lungs started screaming for air so he had to give up and swim back to the surface. The blonde man gasped for air and wiped the water off of his face. Sanji had to blink a few times to regain his vision and to make the slight burning stop. He could hear his friends somewhere near him so he looked around. Luffy was already running back to the shore to get his red and white trick board in a speed of light. Sanji grinned to himself and swam to the shore as well. He didn't even realise how far he had swam earlier.

When the curly brow reached the shore he went to take his surfboard right away. He actually had two other boards too but he left them at the beach house. Today he was going to use his fish board. It had two fins and it was nicely smooth. It was his favourite board. It was colourful, bright yellow with greenish decorations. The stripes formed different kinds of triangles and in the middle of the boars was a bigger pattern, an argyle with a horizontal oval inside it. That board could easily be recognised. And that was one of the reasons why Sanji loved it so much. And of course it was like a dream on waves!

"Oi Sanji! Wanna have a race today?" Franky asked when he came to stand next to Sanji with his baby blue long board.

Sanji smirked playfully up at his friend and gave a solid nod after strapping the leash around his right ankle.

"I bet you're going to fall ten times during the first five minutes."

The blue haired man snorted loudly and patted the blonde's back a bit too hard, almost making him trip over. It was on. Sanji had always loved to race with his friends and it was mostly about how many times would you fall and for how long could you ride one wave and so on. It was fun and it drove Sanji to do better and better every time. This beach was perfect for it too. Waves came often and they were big and powerful. The cook had started his surfing hobby further down at the beach where the waves weren't that big. Year after year he had moved closer to this spot where he was now.

Sanji turned to look at the sea. It was shining like millions and millions of diamonds. It was inviting and challenging. The cook stared intensely at the horizon before taking a few slow steps and then sprinting in the water with the board under his arm. Once the water reached his belly button he put the board down and laid down flat on it. His hands automatically started to row the board forward. Sanji's eyes scanned the water and when he spotted a good wave, he paddled faster towards it. When Sanji got to the swell of the wave he paddled slowly at first so he wouldn't be too early on it. He felt the power of the wave under his board, pushing and pulling. Quickly the blond pushed up on the board, arching his back then snapping his legs up under himself. His right foot behind him on the tale of the board and his left one under him. The wave swelled and Sanji pushed up a little more into a crouching position, pushing on his toes to turn the board. He shuffled up a little more to the nose of the board so he wouldn't lose the wave. The board sliced through the water like a knife through butter. Smooth with little drag. The feeling was indescribable. Sanji's heart swelled and his eyes brightened. He was alive.

The wave was big and the feeling was absolutely amazing. Sanji rode the first wave and then moved to another one which was a bit smaller. He fell couple times but got back on the board right away and kept going. He laughed in delight and sported a wide childish grin on his wet face. He felt home again, and so very strong.

The group of friends was surfing and laughing like there was no tomorrow. At the same time a green haired lifeguard was standing by his post with his co-worker who was currently fixing his black hair.

"You know, you could pay more attention to the people around here and do your job. You will have time to play with your hair later," the green head grunted, keeping his eyes fixed on the people in the water.

"You aren't doing any better, Zoro. People will be in the need of CPR because of your death glare."

"Oh shut your trap, Ace! I'm at least doing my job!" Zoro shot back but Ace just chuckled in amusement.

"Don't worry, I won't ruin our jobs. I always look around and do my job, run around a bit and save people," the black haired man kept babbling on and on but at some point Zoro tuned him out.

The moss head was working here during this summer as a lifeguard with his friend Ace. They had been working at different places every summer and this year they had ended up here. The two young men got to know each other in one lifeguard course and after that they ended up in a same college. They have been close friends ever since.

At some point Ace changed the subject and started talking about how he wanted to try surfing but Zoro cut him short when he saw a big wave coming towards the beach. And with big he meant fucking HUGE! His friend spotted it too and was ready to get his little plastic board and Zoro did the same and brought his bright red whistle to his lips and blew in it sharply a few times. Most of the people got startled enough and moved out of the wave's way as they were instructed. Everything happened in one fast blur. People did what they were told to immediately. Except one man. Zoro saw one blonde guy who was recklessly surfing towards the wave. The green head blew in the whistle again.

"Hey, don't go there it's too dang-" Zoro's order was cut short, the words didn't come out from his mouth when he watched the man.

The guy was now hugging the huge wave, it looked so effortless and almost hypnotizing. The blond was grinning widely, Zoro could see that much. He stared how the blonde hair was flowing in the wind and sparkling from the water and sun, just like the rest of his body. His strong-looking legs were firmly on the bright coloured surfing board, like they were glued on it. He slid along the wave, escaping from the other end which was starting to break and fall down. The man slid out of the wave's way before it reached the shore. He seemed to be completely fine and just continued what he was doing, giving high fives to his friends.

Zoro and Ace both stared at the blonde guy in disbelief and a slight arousal was making its way in their guts. The man was absolutely gorgeous, beautiful and handsome at the same time. And that surfing… those skills… The green head swallowed thickly as a blush was forming on his tanned cheeks.

"Holy hell." Zoro managed to choke out, the red whistle falling from his lips.

Ace stared at the blond as well the same flush on his freckled face.

"Bro, if you don't hit that, I will," the black haired man stated with a thick and husky voice, patting his friend's shoulder.

"Shut up," was the only answer Zoro could manage right now.

The bickering continued between the two men until something caught Ace's eye.

"Holy shit, man! He's coming here!"

Zoro snapped his head towards the shore and… yes, the gorgeous surfer was really making his way straight towards them, swaying his hips inside that tight wetsuit. Zoro was so doomed.

* * *

 _ **Thank you for my lovely nofreedomlove for beta reading this and helping me to describe the surfing scene. XD And no, I couldn't stop myself from slipping other pairings in here too... Shh... And also, exzireart and I have drawn some other drawings for this story so go check them out! My tumblr name is gagakuma and hers is exzireart.**_


	3. Chapter 3

"Holy shit, man! He's coming here!"

Zoro had to gather all his willpower to not stare at the dangerously approaching blonde too much. Ace though did nothing to hide his interest. That bastard. Sooner than the green head wanted the man was right in front of them, putting the end of his surfboard on the ground.

"Sorry about that. I just wanted to try out that wave. Couldn't miss it for any price," the man said with a smug smirk.

The tone of the voice and the smirk did the trick. Zoro snapped out of his haze and glared down the… curly brow?

"Don't be so full of yourself. Something could have happened. The wave was really big," Zoro snapped back, crossing his arms on his tanned chest.

"Oh jeez, don't be such a mood killer. I know how to handle the waves. So stop nagging, will ya?"

Okay, Zoro took back all his earlier thoughts. This guy was an asshole. The green head gave him an unimpressed look and tilted his head.

"And I have been doing my job all over the country so I know a thing or two about waves as well. So don't come to cry to me if you get hurt," he scoffed, getting more and more pissed.

The blonde didn't seem any more pleased either. He looked like a child whose parents had just told them that they were crowded for two weeks. He narrowed his eyes and wiped some water away from his face and was about to say something but didn't have enough time to do so. Some black haired kid landed hard on the guy, almost making him fall.

"Oi Luffy! Don't kill anyone here, I don't feel like giving CPR because of you."

Zoro snapped his head to the side to look at Ace who had been quiet the time until now. The man looked highly amused… and seemed to know this kid.

"Oh, you know this one?" the moss head asked curiously, gesturing at the young man who was currently clinging on the blond man who desperately tried to peel him off of him. Tch, serves him right.

"Aaaaaace!" the boy cried out and immediately changed his target, hauling himself at Ace. They both laughed loudly and almost hugged each others to death. Zoro looked as confused as the curly brow who was now catching his breath.

"Luffy, who is this?" the man asked and gestured at Ace, also glancing at Zoro.

"He's my brother, Ace!" Luffy grinned widely and Ace nodded to confirm the fact.

Zoro was more than surprised. He knew that his friend had a brother, two actually. But the man didn't say anything that one of them was going to be here. Though, the brothers looked just as surprised.

"I didn't know you would be working here! That's great! Now you can hang out with us. Oh you have a friend? Hi, I'm Luffy! Do you want to be my friend?!"

The boy blurted out so many words in so little time that Zoro had to take his time to register that he was talking to him all of the sudden. Ace looked like it was the best entertainment ever, and so did Sanji.

"Uh… I'm Zoro. And sure, why not?" the green head finally answered warily.

The brothers started to talk fast and loud about how their school year went and so on. Luffy also got to know that Zoro and Ace were staying there for the whole summer, just like they. The green head just observed the situation but then completely without his permission his eyes flickered at the blond man. The other man noticed it though. He looked first confused but then flashed a smug grin. That grin made Zoro's blood boil for many different reasons. The moss head furrowed his eyebrows at him and finally turned to look away, a small grin of his own threatening to creep on his lips.

"So, do you guys want to join us tomorrow night? We'll throw a big beach party here to celebrate the beginning of the season," Ace's voice cut in.

The rest of the men turned to look at him and Luffy's eyes sparkled in glee. They were definitely going.

"And especially you, my love, you're more than welcome to come," the freckled man kept going and addressed his flirting directly at Sanji whose cheeks turned slightly red in confusion. Then a big smile split his face in two.

"How could I turn down an invitation like that?" the blonde said, snickering.

"You absolutely can't! I will make sure to wear nice clothes on, just for you. And maybe even buy you a drink or two," Ace said smoothly, flashing the most charming smile he possibly could.

"I'm counting on that then."

Zoro watched in silent horror this terrible, mutual, flirting. He was already used to Ace flirting with every possible human being but this… This was different. He was supposed to be the one flirting with the annoying, sexy ass blind with ridiculous eyebrows. He, Zoro, not Ace! The black haired man didn't seem to notice the other man's inner screaming though.

The brothers agreed to meet tomorrow by the main camp building with the rest of Luffy's friends.

Oh yes, Zoro also learned the name of the blond guy. Sanji… He would definitely remember that name. Once everything was settled, Luffy and Sanji headed back to their friends, leaving Zoro and Ace both gaping after the blonde. However, right away when the moss head noticed his friend's smuggest smirk ever, he snapped out of his, whatever state it was. Reality can hit really hard sometimes when it wanted to.

"Don't say it," Zoro snarled and stormed off back to his posture. The freckled man only laughed and decided to take a walk around the beach, just to check how people were doing.

Sanji was back in water, surrounded by his friends. Luffy was explaining all the possible details about the conversation they had just a minute ago with Ace and… Zoro, was it? They were all more than happy to go to the party. The blonde was mostly deep in his thoughts though. His stomach filled with butterflies at the thought of Ace flirting with him. But to be honest, he could bet his best knives that the man did it with every living person who was old enough. Or then he could be horribly wrong about it, who knows. The other guy on the contrary looked like he had a whole pineapple showed up his sorry ass. He was about to ruin all his fun after all. And Sanji would have been stupid if he hadn't noticed the venom literally dripping from his look when Ace started shooting Sanji with flirty comments. But on the other hand the cook had noticed those golden eyes lingering all over his body whenever he turned his look away. It had been unnerving since the look had been harsh but with a tint of interest. To sum it up, the green head was weird.

By the time the others had finished their conversation, Sanji was deep in his dream land, imagining himself with both Zoro and Ace, at the same time. Thankfully Usopp reminded him that the real world was out there too.

"Earth to Sanji, Earth to Sanji!" the longnose was yelling at the blonde's face. "We are getting hungry."

It didn't need any further words to bring Sanji back to full awareness. When he stumbled his way back to their "homebase", a spot under a big blue umbrella, he thanked his luck for not blushing like a virgin school girl thanks to his daydreams. He usually didn't let his mind wander off in public, especially around his friends. But something in those two men drove him to do so. He wasn't even sure which one of the men did it more. The only thing the curly brow knew was that it was bad, really bad.

The lunch was over really soon right after Sanji had placed everything on a comfy picnic blanket. No one was patient enough to actually enjoy the sandwiches and fruits slowly. They wanted badly back in the sea. The other thing driving them to eat was of course Luffy's grabby fingers that tried to reach every possible piece of food that had forgotten unguarded. Even if everything was really hectic and loud, Sanji had to admit that he had missed this more than anything. He didn't get to see all his friends that much anymore because of college. So this was like some kind of ritual for them, to gather up and spend the whole summer together. He would long for this again with an aching heart when it comes time to part ways once again. But for now, the blonde was definitely going to treasure every single moment of this.

Thorough the day Sanji's eyes wandered to the shore line where the lifeguards were standing and patrolling. He cursed himself for it. He wanted to concentrate on surfing, for fuck's sake! It had been a while since Sanji had dated anyone so he blamed the lack of romance and adventure for this. Yeah, that must be it. The cook could easily see how the green haired lifeguard scanned the area with his golden, oh, so deep eyes. He could swear that every now and then their eyes met. Zoro seemed to be mostly taking care of observing while Ace strolled around, talking to people. Sanji had already made a mental note that those two friends were complete opposites to each others. It was almost funny. It reminded him of his own friendship with Usopp.

Way too soon to Sanji's liking the day was nearing to its end. The sun was already getting ready to set down to let the moon rise. People at the beach gathered their belongings slowly and headed back to their homes, Sanji and his friends did the same. Luffy was whining about it though since he would have wanted to stay way longer. The whining and begging continued until Nami pulled on Luffy's ear and dragged him to the bus.

The drive back to the beach house was rather quiet. They were all exhausted after a long day, even Luffy. The next day was going to be the same. However, they would have to stop surfing sooner to be able to attend to the beach party. Frankly speaking, Sanji didn't mind it at all. He had always loved those parties. They were usually always somewhat civil, not too much drinking or embarrassing moments. The blonde had never been so fond of hard drunken parties. This was a great opportunity to meet new people and catch up with old friends. Sanji was sure that his friends were going to meet their special ones there tomorrow, maybe even sooner. And what it came to the curly brow, he was sure as hell that he was going to get to know the two lifeguards better…

After dinner and lots of talking the friends wished each others good night before going to their own rooms. Sanji stayed behind to clean the kitchen much to Nami's dislike who would have wanted to make others do it to let their dear friend rest a bit. But like always, the cook had politely declined the offer and said that it was his way to relax and have some time off. The red head had rolled her eyes but let it be, understanding enough to leave her friend with his passion.

Whilst doing dishes Sanji let his mind wander and empty itself. He didn't think about anything in particular. The blonde didn't even realise how fast time passed. It was almost 11 pm when he woke up from his daydreams. All the dishes were done and Sanji just stood there, staring to the void. Damn, he really was tired, wasn't he? He pretty much had to drag his body upstairs and to the bathroom. Even if he was dead tired and every single cell in his body hurt, he had to take a shower. The salty sea water made his skin dry and itchy and he really didn't want to suffer from it all night because of his laziness. So, in the end he managed to make his way to the small bathroom and in the shower.

Once Sanji was stark naked he had the pleasure to stand under a warm stream of water. His sore muscles relaxed slowly. A pleased sigh escaped his pinkish lips as he scrubbed his hair with coconut scented shampoo. The man's eyes were closed as the water ran down his body, leaving small trails everywhere. Sanji's hands moved to rub shower gel on his skin, long fingers sliding against it, making sure to reach every spot. His own tender touch seemed to awake other parts of him as well, to his annoyance. And the previous mental images of the lifeguards didn't help the situation at all. The blonde glared down at his growing excitement like it was his worst enemy. He didn't have the energy for this but on the other hand he was completely aware of his thought and needs. The cook knew a lost fight when he saw one.

Fingers wrapped themselves around the heated flesh, drawing a choked moan out of him. The shower suddenly turned much more pleasurable. The already warm water felt even hotter against his skin whilst his hand did the job. His imagination was racing as fast as the blood in his veins. Images of a tanned muscular man flashed behind his eyelids. Sanji tried to imagine strong and warm hands touching him all over. The face of the man was blurry but it didn't matter now. The last image was about the man wrapping his fingers around Sanji. And that did it. He was left gasping for air when the wave of pleasure hit through him. With a heavy sigh the blonde finished washing himself before stepping out of the shower.

Sanji sure had a wild imagination and sometimes a bit too big sexdrive but this… As he laid down between the soft sheets he cursed his mind. He just met Zoro and Ace today and now he was already having hot fantasies about them. He didn't even know them! Ace was Luffy's brother for fuck's sake! But Zoro… He was not a brother of any of his friends..? So maybe, perhaps, if he was lucky, he could possibly… No!

Sanji smashed his face against a pillow and groaned as if he was in pain. He was being stupid. He couldn't just go and hit on all the even slightly attractive human beings. No matter how much he wanted to. After pondering for a bit longer the matter in hand Sanji finally fell asleep, his mind too exhausted to sacrifice any further thoughts about this. He just had to keep his cool and do what he was here for: Surfing.

Sleeping over the night really did its magic. Sanji's thoughts were crystal clear and he totally did NOT have any wet dreams. Luckily the cook didn't have that much time to spare any thoughts for the last night. The morning was as hectic as always. And Sanji loved it. With some heavenly miracle the noisy group of friends finally managed to fight through their morning routines. Sometimes it was unnecessarily difficult. Two broken plates, one cup, some flying watermelon and one way too messy kitchen later Franky kicked them all out and shoved inside the car. He was a chill man but had his limits too. Luffy was whining almost the whole drive as per usual how he was still hungry. However, the sight of the sea made even that black hole shut up.

The sea was just as amazing as the previous day. They all glowed pure joy and excitement as they strolled towards the camp building. Sanji looked around and spotted Bartolomeo talking to three oh, so wonderful women. His friends seemed to spot them as well.

"Vivi!" Nami yelled and bolted towards the women and Bartolomeo.

The blue haired woman turned her head in confusion, trying to search where that familiar voice came from. When she spotted Nami running towards her a big smile spread on her face. She didn't even have time to reply before the redhead hauled herself at Vivi, giving her a bone crushing hug. That caught the other women's attention.

"Oh, I see you have arrived as well. When did you come here?" a black haired and tall woman stated and looked at the approaching group.

"We came yesterday. Nice to see you again Robin. And Kaya-sis as well! Super! Now we have everybody here," Franky exclaimed.

Kaya, a blond and slim woman turned to look at Franky with a friendly smile and replied before turning her attention to Usopp who was currently acting all shy and blushing. The longnose took a moment to pull himself together before going to hug his sweetheart. Nami and Vivi were still clinging on each others and for their misfortune Luffy decided to join them. Franky on the other hand had turned his attention to Robin, casually catching up with her. Sanji observed all his friends and couldn't do anything else than smile from ear to ear. Seeing this happy reunion warmed his heart.

"Good morning, Sanji-sama! Good to see you again! Hope your night went well," Bartolomeo came to cry out right behind Sanji, startling the poor man.

"My God, you scared me," the blonde breathed out and turned to look at the green haired man who smiled so widely that his face was about to split in two.

"I'm sorryyyyy! I didn't mean to!" the man whaled and Sanji had to sooth him down before he started crying again.

Once the green head had calmed down he managed to talk like a normal person. Well, as normal as a guy with green hair could. Green seemed to be popular nowadays…

"Are you coming to the beach party tonight? It's the season opening so it will be awesome! Lots of food and music. We also figured that we could have some beach games."

"Oh yes we are. We actually got invited yesterday. The two new lifeguards did. The other one of them, Ace, was it? Well yeah, he's actually Luffy's brother," Sanji explained and his friend's face seemed to lit up more and more with every word.

"Ohh, so Ace-san is Luffy-sama's brother! I had no idea!"

Bartolomeo kept going his fanboying and Sanji just laughed with him. Everybody took a long moment to just talk and catch up. Turned out that Robin, Vivi and Kaya were going to have a beach volley tournament this summer. They all promised to come to cheer for them.

Before they even knew it, almost two hours had passed. Bartolomeo had to leave earlier though to get back to work. Also Sanji excused himself to go to change in his wetsuit.

The blonde was eager to get in the water and feel the power of waves. So eager that he bumped into someone when he stumbled out of a small changing room.

"Oi, watch it blondie," a deep voice rumbled into Sanji's ears. A shiver ran through his spine, giving him chills. He was about to apologise but then he saw the source of the marvellous voice. Zoro. And of course Sanji had to freeze and stare like an idiot, words caught in his throat.

"Anytime today, dart brow."

Those words and a smug smirk on the sun kissed face snapped the blond man back to reality. His blood started boiling.

"I was just going to apologise but I don't know anymore," Sanji retorted, crossing his arms.

Zoro snorted before laughing. The laughter melted the blonde's heart a little bit, wanted or not.

"So I see you're back to surf again. Try not to drown. I don't want to save your sorry ass if you make a stunt like yesterday and then fail miserably," the green head said with a playful smirk. And of course Sanji couldn't but be a bit sassy here.

"Oh, please! I will grow grey hair sooner than fail my tricks so badly. I'm an expert at what I do."

"Oh really now? And I'm supposed to be impressed by that?" was the only answer.

Sanji's face reddened in rage and he was about to explode. Why did he have fantasies about this man again? He didn't have enough time to come up with a smart comeback. Instead he felt Zoro's warm hand landing on his shoulder, squeezing it firmly.

"Just be careful, okay? See you around," the marimo said softly, the smug grin long gone.

Sanji's brain shut off at the very second as the man walked past him, taking his hand away. That was like a completely different man there. The cook had hard time to believe that the moss head could change his attitude so quickly. It wasn't a bad thing though. And was that worry he heard in the words? A slight blush crept on Sanji's face and he felt like a moron again.

"I will…" Sanji murmured to himself once Zoro was out of earshot. This really was going to be an interesting summer.

* * *

 **Thank you for nofreedomlove for beta reading this once again. The whole group is almost together now, huh. I'm getting excited XD**


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